Our Meet the Team series profiles the individuals who make up the UK Agri-Tech Centre, offering you a glimpse into their stories and ambitions for the sector. Next up is Ben Briggs, our Interim Head of Marketing and Communications.
Ben is inspired by bringing agri-tech success stories to life and showcasing the forward-facing, innovative spirit of our sector.
How did you come to work in the agri-tech sector?
I grew up on a family farm in Lancashire. As a child, I was fascinated by newspapers and how they were put together, which really sparked my interest in writing and creativity and ultimately led me to study Journalism and English Literature at university.
After graduating in 2003, I landed a job at Farmers Guardian. Firstly as a data inputter taking livestock auction market reports from the fax machine and inputting into the newspaper. My real passion was journalism and I got my big break after a few months when I was assigned a story in the Lake District. That experience changed everything and I quickly progressed within the editorial team.
After spending over two years at Farmers Guardian, I moved to local media, working for the Lancashire Telegraph, a daily paper with a circulation of 35,000. Those three years honed my writing skills and I completed my formal journalism qualifications. Eventually, after a further stint editing a local business magazine for 18 months, I returned to Farmers Guardian to lead the news and business team, becoming editor in 2016 and overseeing the change from newspaper to magazine format, as well as driving the exponential growth of the website.
The editorship was a position I held for seven years, before my last 12 months as publisher and running that arm of the business. Crucially, agriculture has always been a sector I’ve found to be incredibly important and rewarding and one I am passionate about.
What are you looking forward to as Interim Head of Marketing and Communications and what do you hope to achieve during your time here?
First and foremost, I must thank Annabelle Malpass for making the transition very smooth as she went on maternity leave.
My vision is to build upon the solid foundations that Annabelle and the team have established. The UK Agri-Tech Centre is filled with fantastic people and groundbreaking projects. My goal in the next ten months is to bring those stories to life and elevate the Centre’s profile within the agricultural community and the wider national press. We have compelling stories that can resonate beyond our immediate audience.
I also want to ensure we are an integral part of the broader discussions about agriculture, especially as the sector is crucial to the government’s growth strategy. Helping our Chief Executive and other leaders play key roles in these discussions is a priority.
On a personal note, I aim to support the team in their professional growth, recognising that our strength lies in our talented and dedicated staff.
What inspires you in this line of work?
I really believe there is nothing more important than agriculture. It is how people are fed, and landscapes are shaped and it plays a crucial role in the social fabric of rural communities. This has always inspired and motivated me. Throughout my career at Farmers Guardian and AgriConnect, I have been passionate about giving a voice to the industry.
The sector is currently undergoing a significant transition, moving away from direct payments towards more environmental regimes. The innovation and research happening at the UK Agri-Tech Centre is crucial in addressing challenges like labour shortages and rising costs. It inspires me to bring these stories to life, showcasing the forward-facing, innovative spirit of our sector.
What makes the UK Agri-Tech Centre an exciting place to work?
The UK Agri-Tech Centre is an incredibly exciting organisation. Agri-tech is a fascinating subject and knowing that our work makes a real difference is hugely rewarding – between the projects we work on and the intellectual resources we have at our disposal, this is extremely evident.
What truly sets us apart, though, is our people. Everyone here is deeply invested in our aims and objectives, and working with such intelligent, dedicated and experienced individuals is very exciting.
For our communications team, the excitement lies in disseminating this work. Whether through press releases, social media campaigns, podcasts or events. We play a pivotal role in communicating this groundbreaking work to a broader audience.
I’m really excited to be part of an organisation that is not only making a difference but also fostering a collaborative and inspiring environment for everyone involved.